[caboverpete]

Ive been around rentals for a long time (rental trucks, standard RENT-ALL type items and bike, canoe, kayak rentals) and in every case either you offer the renter some kind of insurance or you as the business owner takes out insurance. It is most definatly not common practice to charge full retail to a customer for fixing a rental item when they dont have the option to take out insurance on the item to begin with. Its not like your renting out beach cruisers to cruise the boardwalk, these bikes are going to be jumped, dropped, wrecked, slammed into rocks and covered in west virginia mountain poo.... the MAC needs to insure these things.

 

[manhattanprjkt83]

There is a SMALL budget for replacement partsallowed to the MAC. Alot of the parts the shop orders are in bulk at the beginning of the summer. So we don't get shipments every week of new parts. People break brake levers, derailleurs, and rotors on a daily basis. They throw the bikes down....go down trails they have no business on. Spray the bottom bracket with so much water pressure the bearings go bad on a brand new bike in a month or so. People try to adjust dampening and rebounds on forks and don't know what the hell they are doing. Would your treat your gear like that? Are we just going to leave 20 bikes out of commission sitting in the back waiting for parts because we feel bad about charging you for a retail product in out store due to your neglect? Think how expensive that is....losing money because the bike is out of commission ($30-100/day per bike)and money for the new parts($20-100 x everytime one is broken). Paying the bike mechanic to replace the parts and keep the bikes in good shape($10-15/hour x #of times the bike needs a fixup). Who is usually put through some kind of mechanic school (they aren't cheap laborers).You do the math.
Anyway most of the time we have to take the part off the retail floor to replace on the bike. Which kills our % margins. If that happens then why the hell not charge retail? Why should the shop lose money because of negligence of the equipment from the user? We usually give you the broken one if you wanted it. Many times I would just charge retail with 30% off. and let them take the broken part(rotor etc...) People get attitude when they break something and have to pay for it. Treat those bikes like it was your own....and your good to go. Be thankful that Snowshoe rents out really nice bikes and not ragged 5 yr old beaters. Be grateful that there is a sick park and fun trails. The MAC isn't a bike charity. it's a business...and business make money. Be realistic.

very well said, cmon guys...